St. Tammany Parish officials planned to quit responding to emergency calls when sustained winds reach 45 mph. By Sunday at midnight, radio dispatchers from the Sheriff's Office and Mandeville Police Department had relocated to the emergency operations center in Covington.

"When the wind speeds get to 45, then we're not going to be able to respond," Parish President Kevin Davis said.

John O'Neil, liason for St. Tammany's 14 fire protection districts, said crews also need to stow equipment to prevent storm damage, especially their 1,000-gallon water trucks.

"When you get that much weight off the ground, they get top heavy," he said.

AG targets gouging

State Attorney General Charles Foti is promising to aggressively prosecute businesses that gouge their customers while Louisiana is under a state of emergency due to Hurricane Katrina.

"There will be no warnings issued. ... We will file civil or criminal charges," Foti said during a Sunday evening tour of the Department of Homeland Security's emergency operations center in Baton Rouge.

As of 10 p.m., the attorney general's office had received nearly two dozen complaints from people claiming they had been gouged. Most of them involved people who believe they were overcharged for gasoline, or who booked a hotel room for a certain price only to arrive and be charged far more. Other complaints involved stores selling generators or canned goods at twice the normal price.

"People that would take advantage of the distress of these people are showing no regard for any human virtue and deserve to be prosecuted," Foti said.

The attorney general's office has set up a 24-hour hotline to field complaints: 1-800-488-2770.

26,000 shelter at Superdome

About 26,000 New Orleans residents sought refuge from Hurricane Katrina at the Superdome, which authorities describe as the "shelter of last resort," Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu said late Sunday. To help keep them fed and hydrated, the Louisiana National Guard delivered three truckloads of water and seven truckloads of MREs  short for "meals ready to eat." That's enough to supply 15,000 people for three days, according to Col. Jay Mayeaux, deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Emergency Preparedness.

Outside the New Orleans area, the Louisiana Red Cross has opened 45 emergency shelters that were serving about 3,000 evacuees as of late Sunday, said Victor Howell, who heads the Red Cross of the Louisiana Capital Area.

Once Hurricane Katrina passes through, the Red Cross is prepared to deploy 750 employees and volunteers from Louisiana, plus an additional 2,000 from around the country. If the damage from Katrina is as great as authorities fear, Howell said he expects it to be the single largest hurricane relief effort ever undertaken by the American Red Cross.

Wind gusts up to 60 mph were recorded in the area later in the evening, he said.

Guey said the area had been evacuated, and there were no injuries reported.

NHC 10 p.m. Katrina advisory

At 10 p.m., the National Hurricane center shifted Katrina's path a slight bit east and says it may have lost a little bit of strength. However, they're officially saying it's still at 160 mph, a Category 5.

The storm is apparently going through an eyewall replacement cycle, with the inner wall with highest winds beginning to erode and being replaced by a new, wider wall.

The good news is that that could mean the top windspeeds could be only Category 4 at landfall. The bad news is that the new eye will be wider, expanding the area affected by hurricane-force and highest winds.

However, they're still estimating 156 mph winds in 12 hours as the storm reaches the coast. That puts landfall at about 10 a.m., but hurricane-force winds will occur in a few hours.

This change probably won't make much difference in terms of surge for south Louisiana, though it could expand the high water area east towards Mobile

Coast Guard closes ports, waterways

The U.S. Coast Guard closed ports and waterways along the Gulf Coast Sunday as Hurricane Katrina neared its expected landfall Monday morning, according to a Guard news release.

All commercial ships and Coast Guard-regulated barge over 200 gross tons were ordered to leave ports between Long Beach, Miss. and the Aucilla River, Fla., which includes ports in Panama City, Pensecola, Mobile, Pascagoula and Gulfport.

Extensive damage and closures to ports and waterways throughout the Gulf Coast should be expected, the release said.

The Guard also moved 40 aircraft and 30 boats and cutters in positions surrounding the expected strike zone, such as Houston and Jacksonville, readying to conduct search and rescue and humantarian missions, the Guard release said.

Area could see hurricane force winds near midnight

Jefferson Parish Emergency Management Director Walter Maestri at a 10:35 p.m. news conference said the latest information from the National Weather Service indicated that Katrina was bound head-on to the New Orleans metropolitan area.

Maestri said that the region would see the first hurricane force winds of 75 mph about midnight.

He also said that parish personnel who had been working to secure Jefferson were pulled off the streets. Some people were sent to the Northshore to Washington or Tangipahoa parishes.

"We are looking at a storm that is a cause of concern,'' Maestri said.

He implored residents to get off the streets and head to shelter. Jefferson Parish opened three shelters of last resort Sunday afternoon at Bonnabel High School in Kenner, Worley Middle School in Westwego and Truman Middle School in Marrero.

Grand Isle power out

Wind gusts clocked at 80 mph knocked out power Sunday in Grand Isle and Port Fourchon about 9:30 p.m., ahead of Hurricane Katrina's landfall, Department of Transportation and Development spokesman Mark Lambert said. Gusts up to 74 mph also caused damage in south Plaquemines Parish, Lambert said.

Three N.O. nursing home residents die in evacuation

Three residents of a New Orleans nursing home fleeing Hurricane Katrina aboard a school bus died during an evacuation to a Baton Rouge church Sunday, authorities said.

The names, ages and sexes of the dead were not available Sunday.

In confirming their deaths, Don Moreau, chief of operations for the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office, said the coroner's office responded to a call from emergency medical technicians to a Baptist church, which was the destination for the bus of nursing home patients. Once there, Moreau said one person was dead inside the church and another was found dead inside the bus.

''That person (in the bus) appeared to have been dead for some time,'' Moreau said.

The others on the bus, 21 people, were transported to Earl K. Long Hospital, where a third nursing home resident later died, Moreau said.

The coroner's office has not determined a cause of death for any of the three. Moreau, however, said many people on the bus were suffering from dehydration.

"These folks are pretty fragile when they're put on these buses,'' he said.

Moreau didn't know if the school bus had air conditioning.

It is not known how long the bus was on the road, but many other travelers reported drive times from the New Orleans area to Baton Rouge of several hours.

Moreau would not name the nursing home or the church in which it sought refuge from the oncoming storm.

The deaths Sunday come almost a year after two nursing home residents died during an evacuation of a nursing home for Hurricane Ivan, which threatened the New Orleans in September 2004 before turning east to the Alabama-Florida line. And seven years ago during Hurricane Georges, an 86-year-old woman died of heart failure during an evacuation to Baton Rouge after spending hours on a bus without air conditioning.

Kenner moves city equipment

Kenner Fire Department has sent two thirds of its equipment and personnel to a command post at a school at Mount Hermon, in Tangipahoa Parish, east of Kentwood. The move is designed to protect some of the citys equipment from wind and flooding damage, said Fire Chief Mike Zito said.

Public Works Department vehicles and some ambulances also have been moved out of the city. If the place is destroyed, we will have equipment to restore it, Zito fire chief said.

Jefferson Parishs Emergency Operations Center also sent families of essential personnnel and employees from the Ames Boulevard base to set up an employees backup shelter to the school in Mt. Hermon. They will be able to communicate with the command base on Ames Boulevard, said Jacquie Bauer, spokeswoman for the parishs emergency center.

Children's Hospital prepares for flooding

Anticipating major flooding in Uptown New Orleans, Childrens Hospital on Sunday night started moving patients and departments off the first floor.
Were moving all our patients up to the second through sixth floors, said Medical Director Alan Robson. The generators are on the second floor, and weve got enough fuel to last us two or three weeks ... I am told the hospital is five feet above sea level, and were calculating that if theres a wall of water like they are predicting, that we can survive.
The vertical evacuation started Sunday evening, as part of a plan that has been tweaked for years after each hurricane or hurricane threat, Robson said. Staff moved equipment from the hospitals operating rooms and laboratories to temporary quarters on the second floor.
Starting yesterday, the hospital started matching staff with patient needs, making sure to have at least one doctor of every specialty, Robson said.
We tried to discharge as many patients as could be discharged before the storm, Robson said. The rest, well be giving them the care they need. If that means surgery, we can do that.
The 200-bed hospital had about 100 patients as the storm approached.

Party's over in the French Quarter

It takes a mean, mean storm to shut down the hurricane party at Mollys at the Market, but Katrina did it, at about 6 p.m. Sunday.
The French Quarter bar, notorious for staying open during hurricanes despite dire warnings and curfew calls, was the last in the French Quarter to close, said Jim Monaghan, Jr., owner of the bar at the corner of Ursulines and Decatur streets.
I thought about it long and hard, he said. But I dont want 100 people in here if something happens.
In the past, the bar has remained open and usually chock full of regulars defying the storm and soothing their nerves with drink.
We would have stuck it out if it was a category two or three, but theres 175 mph winds out there, and I dont want to be liable if somebody does something stupid in here tonight, Monaghan said. And theres a bunch of drunks wandering around here.
At nearby Cafe Lafitte, Tip Andrews knew it was time to leave when he saw the green shutters on the mustard-colored building close.
When they close, you KNOW its bad, the Bourbon Street resident said Sunday as he took his two dogs, Gigi and Dijon, for a last walk before heading north. They NEVER board up.
The sickly sweet hurricane punch drinks that normally flow right up until landfall were nowhere to be seen as city workers did a last sweep of spent plastic cups and party debris. Purple, green and gold balloons fluttered forlornly on gas lamps in front of shuttered bars in the growing afternoon breeze.
Wheres everybody going? Edward Heyman shouted along an empty street. Its just a little storm.
But despite his bravado, Heyman was leaving, too.
(additional reporting by The Associated Press)

Contraflow - one driver's experience

One driver who left New Orleans Sunday afternoon for parts north, timed his ride on the contraflow system on Interstates 10 and 55. Near Brookhaven, Miss., he reported that he was out of contraflow and traffic had opened a bit, moving at a relatively brisk (by evacuation standards, anyway) 45 mph. The 115-mile trip too him almost six hours.

'God Be With U' . . .and Go LSU

Motorists on Interstate 55 were treated to a show, of sorts, as they neared the town of Brookaven, Miss. Hanging from the overpasses crossing the interstate were a series of signs. One one overpass, four teens held a large white sheet, with 'God Be With U' written in green. Other teens held smiley face posters and waved American flags.

The third overpass carried a simple message tailored for its audience: Go LSU.

Louisiana's senators thank Bush, urge tour

Louisiana's U.S. senators - Mary Landrieu and David Vitter - today sent a joint letter to President Bush, thanking him for his declaration of emergency in the state and his public comments urging residents to flee Hurricane Katrina.

They also urged the president "respectfully but in the strongest possible terms to tour the devastated area as soon as practical," a visit they said would reassure residents that federal agencies are focused on helping the area recover.

Coast Guard Auxiliary gears up for action

As Hurricane Katrina bears down on New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is gearing up to assist the Coast Guard in responding the aftermath of what is being called the "Fourth Strongest Atlantic Hurricane" on record.

William Crouch, Vice Commodore of the Auxiliary Eighth District Central Region stated this afternoon that "units from outlying areas are preparing to depart for the disaster area as soon as the situation becomes clear."

Only three prior Category 5 Hurricanes have been this powerful, the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, 1969's Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Andrew.

Units from as far away as Arkansas, Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, Missouri and Mississippi and other areas of Louisiana are preparing to respond.

"Boats, radios, aviation units will be manned and ready to respond," according to Crouch, "based on the District's Contingency plan which has been in effect since Hurricane Ivan".

Contraflow plan shuts down

Bob Chapman, transportation emergency coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Transportation, said Louisiana officials have informed his department that they were shutting down the contraflow plan as of 5 p.m. today.

Chapman said it will take another two to four hours before the southbound lanes of Interstate 55 and I-59 in Mississippi are cleared to allow southbound traffic to use the southbound lanes.

Interstates will remain open until winds reach speeds that authorities determine are dangerous to motorists.

St. Bernard shelters busy

Although most St. Bernard Parish residents seemed to have evacuated, at least 130 people sought refuge from Hurricane Katrina at two shelters parish officials opened Sunday afternoon, Council Chairman Joey DiFatta said.

Officials opened shelters at St. Bernard and Chalmette high schools, but urged residents to heed an order for mandatory evacuation and use the shelters "as a last resort."

"It looks like our people evacuated," DiFatta said.

Parish officials also transported at least 205 residents to a state-run shelter in Alexandria.

Katrina could delay space shuttle launch

Hurricane Katrina could interfere with NASAs plans to launch the space shuttle again by next March.
The storms projected path is expected to take its most severe winds over NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans.
Michoud makes external fuel tanks for the space shuttle. The plant closed at 8 a.m. Sunday so that workers and their families could evacuate, according to a report by Spacelife Now, an Internet space news publication.
Workers had been busy trying to find a fix for a problem with insulation foam breaking from the tank during shuttle liftoffs.
NASA grounded the shuttle fleet in July after several large pieces of foam broke from shuttle Discoverys tank shortly after launch. That mission was the first since shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it returned home 2 1/2 years ago.
Columbias accident was triggered by a piece of tank foam that broke free during liftoff and punched a fatal, but undetected, hole in the orbiters left wing.
Damage to the sprawling 58-acre factory could prevent workers from repairing the next tanks in line for launch.

Shelter information centers

The Louisiana State Police have established shelter information centers for evacuees along several major routes out of southeast Louisiana. The centers will provide locations of local shelters to travelers. The locations and addresses are as follows:
Vidalia: Tourist Welcome Center, at 1401 Carter St.
Tallulah: TA Truck Stop, 1-20 West, west of the tourist center.
Marksville: Paragon Casino, 711 Paragon Place.
Bunkie: Sammys Truck Stop: 3601 LA 115, off exit 53 on Interstate 49.
Alexandria: Med Express Office, 7525 US 71.
Shreveport: P.E. Gym, LSU-Shreveport, One University Place.
Leesville: Pickering High School, 180 Lebleu Rd.
Oakdale: Mowad Civic Center, at the intersectino of 5th ave. and 10th ave., one block off US 165.

New Orleans curfew

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin called a curfew at 6 p.m. Sunday.
I am advising everyone to get off the streets immediately, the mayor said in a release.
The city fire, police and emergency servicews departments will continue to provide services until winds exceed 45 mph, the mayor said.
City Hall will be closed Monday and until further notice.

St. John imposes curfew

St. John the Baptist Parish residents - those who decided to stay and ride out the storm - were to be off the streets by 6 p.m. Sunday, according to a parishwide curfew. Earlier Sunday, parish officials had announced a mandatory evacuation.

Slow ride on eastbound I-10

Eastbound traffic on Interstate 10 was intense late Sunday afternoon.
Susie Sullivan, who was trying to get to Birmingham, Ala., reported that it took her four hours to get from her home in New Orleans Carrollton section to the I-10/I-59 split in St. Tammany Parish.
Its bumper to bumper, she said on her cell phone.
The other vehicles were full, she said, and many of them carried animals that their owners couldnt bear to leave behind. 

I-55 traffic tight to Hammond

The trip from New Orleans to Hammond on I-55 is generally about a 45-minute drive. But not on Sunday. One driver heading north on I-55 reported that he had finally made it to the first Hammond exit . . . some three hours after leaving New Orleans.

But from there, things opened considerably: At the Hammond-Albany exit on I-55, the driver reported entering the contraflow lanes and experiencing no major delays there.

St. Bernard Parish announces 8 p.m. curfew

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office will begin enforcing a parishwide curfew at 8 p.m. Sunday, spokesman Col. Richard Baumy said. It's the second day in a row that officials imposed a curfew as Hurricane Katrina approaches the area. Sheriff's depuries will also keep restricted access at the entrances to the parish, to prevent looting.

Pets have to go, too

One motorist traveling east toward Atlanta said traffic was so tight that he had traveled only 18 miles in four hours on the I-10 in eastern New Orleans Sunday afternoon. And he had this report: A surprising number of people were pulling off to the side of the road to let their dogs relieve themselves.

Washing Away: The worst-case scenarios

The worst-case scenarios of a major hurricane striking New Orleans were detailed in a significant Times-Picayune series, "Washing Away."

The evacuation shelter at William Pitcher Junior High School in Covington is full. Another shelter will open at 3 p.m. at Abita Middle School, 72079 Maple St. in Abita Springs.

Shelters for special needs

State-run hurricane shelters for people with special needs who have nowhere else to go have been opened in Lafayette, Alexandria, Monroe and Baton Rouge.
The facilities, operated by the departments of Social Services and Health and Hospitals, are designed for people who are homebound, chronically ill or disabled; need medical or nursing care; and have no other place to receive treatment. They are not intended for nursing-home patients.
Nurses will screen those seeking shelter to determine the level of care needed. People who do not meet criteria will be referred to general shelters, the state said, and critically ill people will be sent to hospitals.
People seeking shelter must call first to these cities: Alexandria, 1-800-841-5778; Baton Rouge, 1-800-349-1372; Houma/Thibodaux, 1-800-228-9409; Lafayette, 1-800-901-3210; Lake Charles, 1-866-280-2711; Shreveport, 1-800-841-5776; Monroe, 1-866-280-7287; Slidell/Hammond, 1-866-280-7724.

NWS outlines grim forecast of devastion expected across area

The National Weather Service has issued a special statement outlining the damage that might be caused if Hurricane Katrina makes landfall as a strong Category 4 or Category 5 storm.

Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer, says the statement. At least one-half of well-constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. All gabled roofs will fail, leaving those homes severely damaged or destroyed.

The statement says the majority of industrial buildings will become non-functional, with partial or complete wall and roof failure.

All wood-framed low-rising apartments will sustain major damage, including some wall and roof failure, the statement said. Concrete block low-rise apartments will sustain major damage, including some wall and roof failure.

The statement says high-rise office and apartment buildings will sway dangerously, a few to the point of total collapse. And all their windows will blow out.

Airborne debris will be widespread, and may include heavy items  household appliances and light cars and trucks and even sport utility vehicles and trucks will be moved.

The blown debris will create additional destruction, the statement said. Persons, pets and livestock exposed to the winds will face certain death if struck.

Power outages will last for weeks because most power poles will be down and transformers will be destroyed. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and even the heartiest, if they survive, will be stripped of all leaves.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin called for a first-ever mandatory evacuation of the city this morning, saying that Hurricane Katrinas devastating power may well create the sort of cataclysmic damage that residents have long worried that a killer storm could cause in a city that lies mostly below sea level.

I wish I had better news, but were facing the storm most of us have feared, said Nagin, flanked by city and state officials, including Gov. Kathleen Blanco. This is very serious. This is going to be an unprecedented event. 

Nagin said Katrinas awesome winds are likely to create storm surges that overwhelm the citys system of levees, causing water to pour into lower-lying areas. Blanco said the water could get as high as 20 feet in places.

The city has 30 boats at its disposal, the mayor said.

The governor also said that President Bush had telephoned shortly before the 9:30 a.m. press conference began. She said Bush said he was very concerned about the storms impact and urged Blanco and Nagin to order the evacuation.

We need to get as many people out as possible, she said.

Around 112,000 Orleanians do not own cars, according to census data. Nagin urged those people to seek rides with friends, family, neighbors and church members. Those who could not find rides were urged to get to the Superdome as quickly as possible.

Regional Transit Authority buses were scheduled to ferry people to the dome from 12 locations around the city beginning at noon today.

Meantime, to make sure word of the mandatory evacuation gets out, Nagin said that police and fire crews would be driving through neighborhoods Sunday with bullhorns, directing people to leave.

The evacuation order contained exemptions for certain people, including city, state and federal officials, inmates of the parish prison, those in hospitals, tourists staying in hotels and members of the media.

An emergency order Nagin announced Sunday in declaring the mandatory evacuation gives authorities the right to commandeer private buildings and vehicles  including boats  as they see fit.

The mayor did not say which buildings might be seized for public use. For the time being, the Superdome will be used as a shelter of last resort for those unable to evacuate the city. If the dome fills to capacity, other buildings could be appropriated, Nagin said.

Nagin said the domes availability to residents doesnt mean that going there is a good idea.

I want to emphasize, the first choice of every citizen should be to leave the city, he said. He noted that the Dome is likely to be without power for days  and possibly weeks  after the storm fits, and said it will not be a comfortable place.

At the same time, the mayor said, going to the dome is a better option than staying home. Many homes are likely to suffer serious damage and flood. Nagin said staying in ones house would be a violation of the law, although one unlikely to result in any punishment.

The mayor urged residents to check on their neighbors and offer them help, in particular senior citizens.

This is an opportunity for us to come together in a way weve never done before, he said.

City and state officials also discussed the best ways to get out of the city. Sunday morning, traffic on Interstate 10 going west was gridlock until around Kenner, Blanco said.

She and other officials urged residents to consider alternate routes, including U.S. 90, U.S. 61 and I-10 east toward Slidell, which had litle traffic Sunday morning.

While officials were mostly concerned about preparing for the storms impact, there was also some discussion of its aftermath.

Dan Packer, CEO of Entergy New Orleans, said extra crews from other areas Entergy serves are already in the area, ready to begin repairs to what the company expects will be devastating storm damage.

The storm may destroy the electrical distribution system in New Orleans and a good part of southeast Louisiana, he said. Packer said it may take weeks or months to rebuild the system.

President Bush promises aid to storm victims

In an audio address today at 11:30, President Bush vowed to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

He called for residents to listen to orders from local officials.

Winds increase to 175 mph

At 10 a.m., the National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Katrinas maximum sustained winds had grown to near 175 mph.
Katrina is comparable in intensity to Hurricane Camille of 1969 ... only larger, wrote National Hurricane Center forecaster Richard Pasch in a message discussing the hurricane.
Katrina will fluctuate in strength as its inner bands form and reform in the hours before landfall, Pasch said.
Hurricanes rarely sustain such extreme winds for much time, he said. However,we see no obvious large-scale effects to cause a substantial weakening (of) the system ... and it is expected that the hurricane will be of Category 4 or 5 intensity when it reaches the coast.
The 11 a.m. forecast calls for no change in the track forecast. Katrina will gradually turn to the north today.
Recalling that the average NHC 24-hour track forecast error is about 80 (nautical miles), the actual landfall point could still be anywhere from southeastern Louisiana to the Mississippi coast, he said.
Pasch also urged people not to focus on the narrow forecast track because destructive winds, torrential rains, storm surge and dangerous waves extend well away from the eye.
Hurricane-force winds are expected to extend as much as 175 miles inland as Katrina goes ashore, and will extend out 90 miles to the east and 75 miles to the west of the eye as it goes ashore.

I-10 gridlock; officials urge use of other routes

After Mayor Nagin issued a mandaory evacuation for New Orleans this morning, Governor Blanco stated that the I-10 is gridlocked in the city until the Kenner area.

She urged motorists to be patient until they reach Kenner, where the traffic should ease.

As of 9:30 a.m., Mayor Nagin has issued a mandatory evacuation for New Orleans.

The Superdome has been opened for people with special needs and as a shelter of last resort. Residents should call (504) 568-3200 to reserve space in this shelter.

The city has set up ten pickup areas to take people to emergency shelters. RTA buses will be picking up citizens for free and take them to these shelters. The number to call for pickup areas is 1-800-469-4828.

The pickup locations are

McMain High: 5712 S Claiborne Ave New Orleans, LA 70125

Rabouin High:727 Carondelet St New Orleans, LA 70130

Mondy George O Elementary: 2327 Philip St New Orleans, LA 70113

O.P. Walker: 2832 General Meyer Ave New Orleans, LA 70114

Abramson: 5552 Read Blvd New Orleans, LA 70127

S.T. Reed : 5316 Michoud Blvd New Orleans, LA 70129

Sylvain Williams: 3127 Martin L. King Blvd. New Orleans, LA. 70125

Augustine Middle:425 S. Broad St. New Orleans, LA. 70119

Warren Easton: 3039 Higgins Blvd. New Orleans, LA. 70126

MLK Jr. Elementary: 1617 Caffin Avenue New Orleans, LA 70117

N.O. Mission, address not available at time of publish.

Mondy Center, address not available at time of publish.

William Franz , address not available at time of publish.

Residents are asked to bring food for 3-5 days, pillows, blankets, and any other supplies needed.

Storm surge map projects Katrina's flood path

Times Picayune graphic by Dan Swenson

LSU scientists took projected tracks of Hurricane Katrina on Saturday evening and produced a frightening scenario: A wall of water surging in from all sides pushing up against the urban levees. Wave action is seen topping levees in Kenner, eastern New Orleans and along the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet.